Toy motorcyclist



Jan. 4, 1955 H. MULLER 2,698,497

TOY MOTORCYCLIST Filed March 14, 1950 INVENTOR HEINRICH MULLER TTORNEXS' United States Patent 0 TOY MOTORCYCLIST Heinrich Miiiler, Numberg, Germany Application March 14, 1950, Serial No. 149,494

Claims priority, application Germany February 13, 1950 6 Claims. (Cl. 46-406) This invention relates to certain improvements in toy motor-cyclists.

In toy-motor-cyclists the casing covering the driving parts and forming the figure of the cyclist should be as narrow as possible so that the motor-cyclist appears natural. As a rule, such motor-cyclists are equipped with a driving axle having two driving wheels and a supporting wheel in front. The rear wheel of the vehicle is only a dummy. In toy motor-cyclists running only straight ahead the two driving wheels of the driving axle are enclosed in the casing. On the other hand, in the case of toy motorcyclists running in circles, so far it has been considered necessary to extend the driving axle on both sides so that it protrudes over the casing and to mount on it the two driving wheels outside the casing. This arrangement is intended to give the toy motor-cyclist the necessary riding safety and to prevent him from overturning, especially when riding in circles at a high speed. However, owing to the driving axle protruding on both sides and the driving wheels being outside the casing, the motor-cyclist has an unnatural appearance; moreover the rear wheel can be recognized at once as being but a dummy.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an arrangement by which these disadvantageous features can be removed. With this object in view, according to the present invention the driving axle is arranged with its two driving wheels in a stationary position inside the casing, and the casing is inclined towards the inner side of the curve in relation to the track, ground or floor on which the toy travels. Therefore, by this invention it is rendered possible to eliminate the deficiencies caused by the driving axle protruding over the casing and, at the same time, to ensure the required safety when the motor-cyclist is running at high speed through curves so that his overturning is reliably prevented. It is a feature of this invention that, though the distance between the driving wheels within the casing is rather small, the centrifugal forces which tend to overturn the vehicle in the direction towards the outside of the curve, will be compensated owing to the inclined position of the casing. In most cases it may be suificient to have only the casing inclined towards the inside. However, the driving mechanism will preferably be mounted with the same inclination. A further increase of the safety may be achieved by inclining also the driving axle so that it is lower on the inside of the curve than on the outside. This can be brought about by means of driving Wheels of different sizes depending on the steering position of the front wheel. It would also be possible to incline the driving axle not only in the said manner but also to put it in an oblique position to the travelling direction so that its driving wheel on the inside of the curve is located a little before or behind its driving wheel at the outside of the curve.

According to a further feature of the invention, in order to ensure such a motor-cyclist to perform not only uniform circular curves but to produce an additional surprising effect, a braking member acting on the track in the vicinity of the driving wheel on the inside of the curve is provided for interrupting the curving movement when coming into action, and at the same time, causing the motor-cyclist to perform turning movements on its perpendicular axis. This gives the impression as if the motor-cyclist were going to skid because he took a curve at too high speed but that he managed to get his vehicle back to its normal run without overturning. These merry-go-round-like turning movements of the motorcyclist have a surprising as well as an amusing effect.

But it is also possible to provide a special braking member in the shape of a supporting finger which can be placed on the track at times and can raise the driving wheel on the inner side of the curve a little from the track. The temporary putting out of action of the driving wheel on the inside of the curve or the putting into action of an operation lever controlling the supporting finger can be effected by the driving mechanism through an appropriate cam.

Advantageously the active end of the supporting finger in order to achieve a braking effect free from skidding is made of a material of a high adhesion, in particular of a material that is softer than iron, e. g. of rubber, whereby the supporting finger becomes eifective at once without skidding with the result that the full kinetic energy of the vehicle will be made available for the merry-go-round turning movement of the vehicle so that this will perform at least one full turning movement round its perpendicular axis.

According to another feature of the invention the toy is made in such a way that the supporting wheel in front, i. e. as a rule, the front wheel of the vehicle, when travelling, touches the track only with a small overweight. Thus, the front wheel, when skidding laterally across the track during its turntable movement, does not cause any disadvantageous braking effect, as would be the case if it would roll on the track with the normal wheel pressure. it is also contemplated to provide means by which the supporting wheel in front can be relieved so that it touches the track with the usual wheel pressure, when proceeding on its normal curved tour, while touching the track only slightly, when carrying out the turntable movements. For this purpose a weight may be mounted which, under control of the driving mechanism, will be shifted behind the driving axle, when the merrygo-round movements start. The driving axle is appropriately mounted approximately in the middle of the longitudinal extension of the vehicle.

Other and further objects, features and advantages of the invention will be pointed out hereinafter and appear in the appended claims forming part of the application.

In the accompanying drawing a now preferred embodiment of the invention is shown by way of illustration and not by way of limitation.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a side view of a motor-cyclist toy with the vehicle casing broken away,

Fig. 2 is a bottom view thereof,

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side view of Fig. 2, viewed in the direction of the arrow, with the supporting finger in action,

Fig. 4 is the same side view with the supporting finger out of action,

Fig. 5 is a rear view of the motor-cyclist with the casing broken away and with the supporting finger in action, and

Fig. 6 is the same rear view with the supporting finger out of action.

Similar reference numerals denote similar parts in the different views.

The motor-cyclist comprises a casing 1, serving for enclosing the inner mechanism, and simultaneously forming the dummy-like rear wheel 2 and the figure of the cyclist 3. The driving mechanism 4, the spring 5 of which can be wound up by the winding shaft 6, operates the driving axle 7, on which are mounted two driving wheels 8 and 9. In the front end of the casing is mounted the front supporting wheel 10, which is shaped as the front wheel of the vehicle.

As is shown especially in Fig. 5, the casing 1 is inclined towards the inside of the curve. The driving mechanism 4 in this embodiment has been fitted with the same degree of inclination. The driving axle 7 is also inclined a little towards the inside, but it is preferably mounted obliquely in the mechanism in order to be able to perform certain circular curves by means of the driving wheel 8 mounted on the inside of the curve and being a little smaller than the driving wheel 9 on the outside of the curve. The latter is preferably provided with a tread made of a material of a high adhesion which is softer than iron, advantageously in the form of rubber tires. The driving mechanism 4 as well as its spring 5 by the oblique position of the driving axle in the mechanism acts as a load weighting the vehicle towards the inside of the curve, as will be seen from Fig. 6.

On the shaft 6 of the driving mechanism is mounted a cam disc 12, which co-operates with the cross lug 13 of a lever 15 hinged at 14. The front end of this lever bears a downwardly directed supporting finger 16, which is made of rubber or fitted with a rubber end or another material of a high adhesion being softer than iron.

When the vehicle performs circular drives, the supporting finger 16 acts on the track, according to Figs. 3 and 5, as soon as the cam 12 presses the lever 15, Where by the driving wheel 8 on the inside of the curve will be lifted a little off the track and, consequently, will become ineffective. As a result the vehicle will rotate round the supporting finger 16. The momentum or kinetic energy accumulated in the vehicle from its curved ride thus is set free for its rotary movement in the manner of a merry-go-round, by which movement the skidding of a real motor-cyclist is imitated. The supporting finger 16 acts only temporarily. As soon as the cam 12 has left the cross lug 13, the lever 15 and with it the supporting finger 16, swings back upward into its original position under action of spring 17. Now the vehicle again performs its normal circular rides with the driving wheel 8 on the inside of the curve performing its normal function.

In the embodiment as shown the driving axle 7 extends perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. However, as mentioned above, it can also be located obliquely to the travelling direction so that the driving wheel 8 on the inside of the curve is located a little before or behind the driving wheel 9 on the outside of the curve, as indicated by the dot and dash lines in Fig. 2.

The two driving wheels 8 and 9 may be of equal size. However, it is advantageous, as mentioned above to make wheel 8 smaller than wheel 9 so that the driving axle 7 as well as the casing are inclined inwardly. Wheel 8 need not be fixedly mounted on axle 7 but it may be rotatably seated thereon, as an idle running wheel.

The front supporting wheel 10 can be adjusted for straight driving. However, as shown in Fig. 2, it is pref erably mounted in such a way that its position corresponds with the circular travelling desired. It is also possible to provide a steering device for the front wheel axle so that the same may be set for curves of a larger or smaller diameter in order to adapt it to the slipperiness of the track.

The driving axle 7 is located about the longitudinal middle of the vehicle. In the embodiment as shown, the motor-cyclist is balanced in such a way with regard to the driving axle that the front wheel 10 touches the track only slightly. Where, on the other hand the vehicle is designed in such a way that the front wheel rests on the track with the normal wheel pressure, a device is installed for shifting the weight, whereby the front wheel will be relieved when the supporting finger 16 comes into action. This device can be controlled by means of the cam 12.

The toy is intended to run in circles at a very high speed, which gives the impression of a motor-cyclist about to skid during his high speed curving. For achieving this aim, a predetermined oblique position of the figure, a predetermined radius of the curve, and a corresponding arrangement of the parts required for the driving, such as the driving mechanism, the position of the axle, the lateral position of the weight of the driving spring, the winding shaft, the cam, the supporting lever, are necessary in order to achieve the safety of riding only by these parts without having to resort to additional weighting of the inner side or to a wide gauge of the wheels. The invention also prevents the toy from being overturned outwards or being put out of its travelling direction by an unbalanced force, when running quickly.

While the invention has been described in detail with respect to a now preferred example and embodiment of the invention it will be understood by those skilled in the art after understanding the invention, that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. A toy motor-cyclist adapted for travelling curved courses, comprising a pair of running wheels, a casing which is inclined relative to the wheels and in relation to the ground or floor towards the inner side of the curve, a driving axle with the two running wheels mounted thereon, said driving axle and running wheels of different diameters being arranged within the casing and the driving axle being disposed obliquely to the direction of travel in such a way that its running wheel at one side is located behind the running wheel at the other side, and a front wheel set at an agle relative to the longitudinal axis of the toy to travel the curved courses.

2. A toy motor-cyclist adapted for travelling curved courses, comprising a casing which is inclined in relation to the ground or floor towards the inner side of the curve, a driving axle with two running wheels mounted thereon, said driving axle and running wheels of different diameters being arranged within the casing, a braking member pivotally connected to the casing, means operating said braking member so as to act temporarily upon the track in the vicinity of the inward running wheel for interrupting the curved course of riding and causing turntable-like rotary movements of the toy, and a front wheel set at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the toy to travel the curved courses.

3. A toy motor-cyclist adapted for travelling curved courses, comprising a casing which is inclined in relation to the ground or floor towards the inner side of the curve, a driving axle with two running wheels of different diameters mounted thereon, said driving axle and running wheels being arranged within the casing, means to temporarily interrupt the inward running wheel by slightly raising the latter for interrupting the curved course of travel of the toy and causing turntable-like rotary movements of the toy, and a front wheel set at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the toy to travel the curved courses.

4. A toy motor-cyclist adapted for travelling curved courses, comprising a pair of running wheels, a casing which is inclined relative to the wheels and in relation to the floor or ground towards the inner side of the curve, a driving mechanism enclosed by said casing, a driving axle with the two running wheels mounted thereon, and driven by the said driving mechanism, said driving axle and running wheels being arranged within the casing, a supporting finger pivotally connected to the casing, means operated by said driving mechanism and actuating said finger so as, to temporarily contact the floor and lift the inward running wheel off the floor, for interrupting the curved course of travel of the toy and cause turntable-like rotary movements of the toy, and a front wheel set at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the toy to travel the curved courses.

5. A toy motor-cyclist adapted for travelling curved courses, comprising a pair of running wheels, a casing which is inclined relative to the wheels and in relation to the floor or ground towards the inner side of the curve, a driving mechanism enclosed by said casing, a driving axle with the two running wheels mounted thereon, and driven by the said driving mechanism, said driving axle and running wheels being arranged within the casing, a supporting finger pivotally connected to the casing, means operated by said driving mechanism and actuating said finger so as, to temporarily contact the floor and lift the inward running wheel off the floor for interrupting the curved course of travel of the toy and cause turntable-like rotary movements of the toy, the downward end of said supporting finger consisting of soft rubber, and a front wheel set at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the toy to travel the curved courses.

6. A toy motor-cyclist adapted for travelling curved courses, comprising a casing which is inclined in relation to the floor or ground towards the inner side of the curve, a driving axle with two running wheels mounted thereon, said driving axle and running wheels being arranged within the casing, a front wheel mounted in the casing, weight-shifting means in the casing adapted to relieve the front wheel for facilitating its lateral skidding on the floor, a braking member mounted in the casing, means actuating said braking member so as to act temporarily upon the floor in the vicinity of the inward running wheel for interrupting the curved course of travel of the toy and causing turntable-like rotary movements of the toy, and a front wheel set at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the toy to travel the curved courses.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Nanfeldt June 25, 1918 Muller Aug. 30, 1932 Craig June 6, 1933 Muller Aug. 31, 1937 Berger May 17, 1938 

